Author: David Mathre

I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time on home renovation and expansion of a wildflower garden/meadow.

Friday (23-December-2022) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime in New Jersey.

Yesterday it rained most of the day. Then during the night, the temperature rose with more wind and rain. By noon the temperature was dropping rapidly, and for a short period there was heavy wind and blowing snow. That is when I got a picture of the Santa Nisse meditating before Christmas.

Meditating Santa. (David J Mathre)
Meditating Santa wishing for a white Christmas. Image taken with a Hasselblad X2D camera and 90 mm f/3.5 lens (ISO 64, 90 mm, f/4, 16 sec). (David J Mathre)

Just after astronomical twilight the sky was clear long enough to capture enough images of the Orion Galaxy (M42) using the Vespera astro-camera. After that the clouds came back with cold wind and blowing snow. The Vespera seems to handle 7°F (-14°C). I do leave the Vespera outside for 15 minutes to equilibrate before running the automatic initialization and autofocus. Then when done for the night, put a plastic bag around the Vespera before bringing it inside to minimize condensation.

Orion Nebula (M42). (David J Mathre)
Orion Nebula (M42). Composite of 258 images taken with a Vaonis Vespera Camera (200 mm, f/4, 10 sec). Image processed with Capture One Pro and Topaz Photo AI. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (92.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (2.9 kWh) from Sense. Rain and clouds. Deficit of 90.0 kWh. Once the outside temperatures drop below 10°F, the GeoThermal HVAC system requires additional resistance heating to maintain the inside temperature at 66°F.

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Wednesday (21-December-2022) — New Jersey

Backyard Nighttime Sky Over New Jersey.

It’s the winter solstice (or the longest night). Early in the morning I captured images of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) using the mosaic mode for a wider field of view (400 images). Also, the Horsehead Nebula (B33). Although I collected 1107 images, I could only use the first 379 images for the composite because a Sycamore tree blocks the view towards the west. Early evening, I captured images of the Dumbbell Nebula (M27). I had to stop after 258 images because the sky started to cloud over. No more observations for a couple of days due to the forecast of a winter storm.

One thing that I don’t like about the Vespera is the data needs to be transferred via WiFi using ftp to a PC. There isn’t a removable data card or USB cable option for the data transfer.


Vespera Deep Sky Observations. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (99.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (30.8 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Deficit of 68.8 kWh. I should note that on a sunny day near the Summer Solstice the solar panels produce 3 times as much power. Longer hours and the sun is higher in the sky.

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Tuesday (20-December-2022) — New Jersey

Backyard Nighttime Sky Over New Jersey.

It was clear again overnight. I did three longer observations using the Vespera Observation Station. Crab Nebula (M1, 363 images), Orion Nebula (M42, 907 images). Pinwheel Galaxy (M101, 661 images). For the Orion Nebula observation, I tried the beta Mosaic mode to get a wider image. The sensor size for the Vespera captures a 1.6° x 0.9° field of view. With the Mosaic mode the field of view is up to 4x greater (3.2° x 1.8° = 8.2 Mpx). The longer observation times do provide sharper images with more detail and less noise.

For the following images, I processed the final JPG image with Topaz AI, followed by Capture One Pro. For the raw TIFF images, I needed to use Capture One Pro first, followed by Topaz AI.


Vespera Deep Sky Observations. JPG images processed with Topaz AI, followed by Capture One Pro. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Vespera Deep Sky Observations. TIF images processed with Capture One Pro followed by Topaz AI. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (95.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (19.5 kWh) from Sense. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 76.2 kWh.

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Sunday (18-December-2022) — New Jersey

Backyard Nighttime Sky Over New Jersey.

It was a cold but clear night to try out a Vaonis Vespera Observation Station. This is a digital telescope, without an eyepiece for taking images of objects in the sky. The Vespera is controlled via Wi-Fi by the Singularity app. This allowed control the Vespera from inside a warm house. The Vespera automatically focuses the camera, and automatically tracks the selected object while taking a series of images (10 second exposures). The following image is of the Rosette Nebula (NGC2237-44). This is a composite of 309 images. The composite image was post-processed with Capture One Pro and Topaz Photo AI. I have also included a time-lapse video showing the development of the composite image by the Vespera. More images and comments about the Vespera to follow.

Rosette Nebula (NGC2237-44). (David J Mathre)
NGC2237_44 Rosette Nebula. Composite of 309 images taken with a Vaonis Vespera. Image processed with Capture One Pro and Topaz Photo AI. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (87.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (22.4 kWh) from Sense. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 64.6 kWh.

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Tuesday (25-October-2022) — New Jersey

Fairgrown Farm CSA Weekly Delivery Box #26.

This week the box contained the following:

Green Tomatoes (Fairgrown Farm, Hopewell Township)
Green Peppers (Fairgrown Farm, Hopewell Township)
Spaghetti Squash (Cassaday Farms, Monroeville)
Gold Onions (Cassaday Farms, Monroeville)
Celery (Great Meadows Farm, Lawrenceville)
Frisee (Great Meadows Farm, Lawrenceville)
Bok Choi (Great Meadows Farm, Lawrenceville)

Add on of eggs, fruit, mushrooms:

Eggs (Polnasek Farm, Hillsborough)
Various Apples and Pears
Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Grey Oyster Mushroom, Black Pearl Mushroom, Pioppino Mushroom (Zell’s Farm)


CSA Delivery Box (Week 23). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.